Signature · 6 LILA tracts (50% of tracts)
Vernon Parish, LA
Vernon Parish's signature pressure is desert tracts: 6 LILA tracts (50% of the book) alongside 49.3% low-access.
- 49.3%
- low-access pop.
- 6
- food-desert tracts
- 14.6%
- on SNAP
- 47K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Vernon Parish, LA
LA-SEVERE · ABOVE-NATIONAL · LILA-CLUSTER · SNAP-HEAVY · VEH-OK · DENSITY-DENSE
- LA-SEVERE 49.3% low-access
- ABOVE-NATIONAL +27.2 pts vs US
- LILA-CLUSTER 6 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-HEAVY 14.6% SNAP
- VEH-OK 6.2% no vehicle
- DENSITY-DENSE 50% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: St. Charles Parish ( -2.1 pts)
Upper-band low-access
Vernon Parish sits in the upper national band (49.3%, #212 of 3,079) with 6 LILA tracts.
- #212
- national by low-access %
- #4
- in LA
- 10
- low-access tracts
- 12K
- food-desert residents
Upper-band counties often pair elevated low-access with clustered LILA tracts. Low access = >1 mile urban / >10 miles rural.
Signature read: 6 LILA tracts (50% of tracts) .
How Vernon Parish compares nationally
Vernon Parish sits among the nation's most food-access-constrained counties: its 49.3% low-access share outpaces 93% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, ranking #212 most-affected nationwide.
Vernon Parish's elevated USDA tier split
12 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 6 LILA.
Vernon Parish is mostly rural by USDA tract type (6 rural, 6 urban), so most tracts are held to the 10-mile test and only the 6 urban tracts face the 1-mile one.
Vernon Parish vs nearby high low-access peers
Poles + nearest peers in Louisiana, not a full county-board reprint
- Tensas
Tensas 58.9%
58.9 % low-access
- Beauregard
Beauregard 55.8%
55.8 % low-access
- Plaquemines
Plaquemines 54.9%
54.9 % low-access
- Vernon
Vernon 49.3%
49.3 % low-access
- St. Charles
St. Charles 47.2%
47.2 % low-access
- Ascension
Ascension 42.3%
42.3 % low-access
- Assumption 0.9
Assumption 0.9%
0.9 % low-access
FARA 2019 · elevated low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 12 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 52,334 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 10 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 6 |
| Low-Access Population | 25,798 |
| Low-Access Share | 49.3%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 11,602 |
ACS 2024 · lower SNAP band
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 47,117 |
| Median Household Income | $57,270 |
| Poverty Rate | 19.0%above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 2,677 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 14.6%above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 6.2%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 3.2% |
Thick SNAP store book in Vernon Parish
Vernon Parish has 34 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 6 store categories. Combination Grocery/Other lead with 18 locations (53% of the total), followed by convenience store.
Where the store book sits, by town
7 towns share the 34 authorized stores; Leesville holds 68% of them. 6 of the 7 towns have no grocery-grade outlet, only convenience or dollar/combination stores: Anacoco, Pitkin, Rosepine, Fort Polk, Hornbeck, Simpson.
| Town | SNAP stores | Grocery-grade |
|---|---|---|
| Leesville | 23 | 2 |
| Anacoco | 3 | none |
| Pitkin | 3 | none |
| Rosepine | 2 | none |
| Fort Polk | 1 | none |
| Hornbeck | 1 | none |
| Simpson | 1 | none |
Combination Grocery/Other · 18
- cvs pharmacy 10558, leesville
- dollar general 10238, anacoco
- dollar general 13922, hornbeck
- dollar general 2054, leesville
- dollar general 4032, leesville
- dollar general 6459, leesville
- dollartree 10282, leesville
- dollar general 15954, leesville
- dollar general 16728, pitkin
- dollar general 17054, simpson
- dollar general 19901, leesville
- dollar general 22387, anacoco
- dollar general 24139, leesville
- dollar general 4162, rosepine
- dollar tree 1464, leesville
- family dollar 909, leesville
- soileaus cajun specialty meats, rosepine
- walgreens 10538, leesville
Convenience Store · 12
- anacoco mercantile llc, anacoco
- circle k 7748, leesville
- d&j's grocery#1,llc, pitkin
- fox stop, llc, leesville
- murphy usa 7534, leesville
- polk pit stop, leesville
- shop a lotte 6, leesville
- shoprite 50, leesville
- shoprite 64, leesville
- slagle mall, leesville
- south end mobil, leesville
- strother's country store, pitkin
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- duhon & son's meat processing, leesville
Military Commissary · 1
- fort polk commissary 119, fort polk
Super Store · 1
- walmart supercenter 405, leesville
Supermarket · 1
- market basket 40, leesville
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator (currently authorized stores, a live third population, not the 2019 Atlas or ACS 2024 snapshot above).
Other Counties in Louisiana
One of 63 counties in Louisiana, 6 are shown here.
Compare Vernon Parish vs Acadia Parish → · All Louisiana counties →
Counties near Vernon Parish's elevated low-access or SNAP band
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Vernon Parish, both outside Louisiana so the neighborhoods are not the same-state county list above.
Similar low-access share
Nearest low-access rates outside LA (49.3% here).
- Charlotte County, FL · 49.2% low-access
- Henry County, GA · 49.4% low-access
- Beaufort County, SC · 49.0% low-access
- Boone County, KY · 49.8% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside LA (14.6% here).
- Blackford County, IN · 14.6% SNAP
- Bannock County, ID · 14.6% SNAP
- Polk County, FL · 14.6% SNAP
- Greene County, AR · 14.6% SNAP
Source: USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) + Census ACS 2024 SNAP. Peers floor at 10,000 residents so stub counties cannot own the match.
Louisiana among West South Central states
Louisiana ranks 1st of 4 West South Central states by population-weighted low-access (26.4%). Vernon Parish, at 49.3%, runs 22.9 pts above the Louisiana rate.
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted by state; divisions per the U.S. Census Bureau. National state map
Read with this county
Sources: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019) · U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2024 5-Year Estimates · methodology · compiled .
PlainFoodAccess renders this county profile directly from the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) and U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (2024 5-year estimates), no number is typed in by an editor. Figures for Vernon Parish, LA are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 22115. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-06-23. Primary sources: USDA Food Access Research Atlas and Census ACS 5-year estimates.
Note: This page presents public USDA and Census data for informational purposes and is not professional advice. Figures reflect the cited dataset vintages and may differ from the most recent local conditions. How this data is sourced & verified.